The Aura will Prevail
by 101TheEditor
Summary: This is my first fanfiction ever. It's set in medieval times and a lot of the characters will not be like their anime counter-parts. (Note: as it is a dark time in my story people will die)
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi there! This is my first FanFiction ever so be sure to review to help me make better ones in the future. (Maybe this is perfect anyway) So some of the ideas used in this story are based off of the Gerbilftw story "The Aura is with the Forgotten." Please note that I got permission to use these ideas from Gerbil himself. I've put my own spin on them of course so it won't be like reading the same story. Anyway, enough of me talking. ONWARDS! (Please note that people will die in this story)_**

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"Ash! Can you come in for dinner please" Delia Ketchum called out to her three year old son. At the mention of food, Ash Ketchum immediately dropped the ball he was playing with and raced inside. Delia smiled as she watched her son sit down at their small wooden table. "Come on mummy, I'm hungry!" Ash whined. After a simple dinner of bread and some cheese, Ash looked extremely tired so Delia carried him to bed. This was pretty much how life was for the Ketchums, peaceful. This peace went on for another two years. That was when everything changed.

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The day was Ash's fifth birthday. Delia threw him a huge party to which all of his friends came. The festivities went on for hours until everyone decided to go home. Everybody was asleep in Pallet Town. A group of bandits walked along the dirt roads, occasionally peeking inside windows, searching for something. "Boss! What exactly are we looking for?" one of the bandits asked the big burly man he had called boss. "Anything of value!" he snarled "Now shut up or I'll feed you to the Houndoom." Indicating the five black, horned dogs that they used. "Hey boss I think I've found something!" Another bandit called out. The boss looked to where he was pointing and saw on top of a hill, a large manor. "Ah this must be the fabled Oak Estate" he sighed to himself.

Inside the Ketchum residence, Ash had woken up to get some water from the well in his yard, his new Pichu clinging to his shoulder. That was when he saw a group of men walking down the path. He decided to follow them. _"An Adventure!_" he thought to himself. At the end of the path he heard the man in front shout "Alright then! Houndoom use flamethrower." Ash watched in horror as the big scary looking dogs shot fire at the big house that he knew belonged to his friend Professor Oak. Ash, suddenly brave shouted "You can't do that!" Every one of the bandits turned around and the Houndooms turned to look as well. In front of them was a short, young boy who looked to be no more than five years old. However there was something about him, something that made the boss a little uneasy. He snapped out of it as a bandit said "Well what do we do boss? Kill him?" The boss shook his head, "No, we can't just off a child." The bandits then huddled and decided to just scare him away. So the big man stood up and pointed to Ash as he said "You don't want to be messing with us kid! Now run along." But Ash stood his ground and yelled "Pichu get him!" The small yellow mouse jumped off his shoulder and fired a small bolt of electricity at the man. However in doing so it hurt itself. The big man just jumped back and snarled "Now you've made me angry boy." The bandit shouted to his men "Find out where this kid lives and kill his family!" Ash being as naïve as he was did not know that he was the bait and ran home to protect his mother. The bandits intended on this and ran after him.

After running all the way home Ash ran in to his mum's bedroom and shouted "Mum get up! There are bad men coming!" Delia just told him to go back to sleep. The boss thought to himself as he ran "_There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who are chased and those who do the chasing!_" As he ran in the front door he began his search. After 2 minutes of searching he found the little punk lying over a woman who could only be his mother. He grabbed the boy and dragged him outside where his fellow bandits were waiting. He snarled at the boy "This will teach you to meddle in the affairs of The Phantom! Now Houndoom" The black dogs shot fire at the small house, burning everything that was inside. The man called Phantom held on to the screaming boy as he watched his home burn down. Once there was nothing left he let the boy go so he could see the damage himself. Ash found his mother's corpse just lying there in the dirt. Covered in burns and not breathing. Ash cried to his mother to wake up, but she never did. The man behind him said to him "You are lucky that I don't kill children. I can however scar them." He turned to his cohorts "He likes lightning so much, why don't we mark him." And so the last thing Ash saw before he was knocked out was his charred mother, lying on the floor.

Phantom looked down on the unconscious boy and grabbed his dagger. He drew two identical lines on the boys cheeks. The lines resembled two horizontal lightning bolts. And then he turned, and left the town, his fellow bandits following slightly behind.  
As Ash woke up he noticed his Pichu on his chest and when he remembered what had happened he broke into tears. But he soon stopped as a hand to his shoulder. He looked up to see Professor Oak who must have managed to stop the fire in his own house from burning. Ash, this is Sir Riley, indicating another man standing beside him. Ash saw that he was wearing a large black cloak, a blue tunic, a grey undershirt and blue boots. He also had over his spiky black hair, a blue hat with a black stripe going around the whole thing. The man spoke. "Ash, I know this must be hard, but from here on out, you can't cry about your mother. You need to be strong, it's what she would have wanted." Ash just nodded and asked "Why are you here?" Riley just simple stated "You're going to be travelling with me for a while." Ash then noticed a small, blue, bipedal dog standing next to the man. "Mister Riley, what is that?" Ash heard his answer not from the tall man, nor from Oak but inside his head. "**Hello Ash, my name is Riolu**."

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**And there you have it, the first chapter of my first story completed. Be sure to let me know what you think and for now that's all. See you in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Guys! I'm back with another Chapter! So last time Pallet Town was attacked and Ash's mother killed. Let's see what happens from here. (Some of the ideas and themes used in this FanFiction are from the story "The Aura is with the Forgotten" by Gerbilftw. I received permission to use these ideas.) Also some of the mistakes I made in the last chapter will be fixed from here on out. Enjoy the chapter! (I don't own Pokémon) Sorry if this chapter's a little boring but it is important. Trust me ;)**

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Ash frantically looked around, searching for the strange voice. All he could see was his burnt house, the other homes and the other beings in their little group.

"Mister Riley, did you say something?" Ash asked the tall man in blue. Riley just stared down at the young boy.

"No I didn't Ash," he said "Could you please explain to me what you heard?"

Ash explained that he had heard a voice inside his head. "Incredible…" was all Riley said.

Ash began to get scared. "Is this a bad thing Sir?" He sat down and covered his ears as if trying not to hear any more voices. "Am I going mad?"

Riley just shook his head and stated "On the contrary Ash this is a great thing, though I'm not sure how you were able to do it…"

Ash looked up, "What?"

Riley smiled and said "Riolu was talking to you through the use of Aura," he explained "You see, I am an Aura Guardian, we protect the innocents and give citizens a sense of hope and freedom."

Ash just looked confused and asked "Then why could I hear it?"

Riley shrugged "That is a story for another time, but now I need you to come with me Ash Ketchum."

"But why?" Ash asked "Why can't I stay here with Professor Oak?"

"Because it is not safe here I am afraid," Riley said "At least not for you."

Ash just looked confused and looked at Pichu "What do you think buddy?"

"Pichu pi chuchu pichu," The little yellow pokemon said.

"Alright fine, but what about mummy?" Ash said indicating his dead mother.

"We will bury her and pay our final respects but then we must leave."

Ash nodded "Okay," and thought in his mind "_Maybe it will be an adventure!"_

_One hour later_

All of Pallet had gathered around the ruin that was Ash's house. Every single one of them would miss the cheerful woman that was Delia Ketchum. They all began to sing "The Goodbye Song" which was often sung at funerals to show respect. Then the citizens of Pallet all stepped up to the grave to say a few last words. When the funeral was over and after wishing Ash good fortune on whatever path he may choose, they left. Ash looked down at his mother one last time before walking over to Professor Oak and sitting there as she was covered with dirt.

"Come on Riley!" Ash shouted at his new travelling partner.

Riley looked over at Ash and grinned "Hold on Ash, give me five minutes."

They seemed like the longest minutes of Ash's life, but he waited. Eventually Riley walked over to Ash.

"Alright let's go," was all he said.

Ash looked at the man's face and though he saw a tear but then shrugged and walked ahead  
"_Aura Guardians don't cry_" He thought.

"So Ash would you like me to tell you where we are going?" Riley said as he caught up with Ash

"Okay," Ash said a little bored

"_He's definitely trying not to show emotion_," he thought "You know Ash, what I said about not crying wasn't a strict rule, you're allowed to show emotion."

"Yeah I know but I'm just too pumped on this adventure, plus I don't need to cry anymore because I'm pretty much a man now"

"Oh really? Then you can tell me which way to Viridian City?" Riley smirked.

Ash sweatdropped and said "Okay you win"

Pichu and Riolu just snickered at their master's embarrassment

"Hey don't you get in on this!" Ash shouted

Riley broke up the fighting and said "Alright that's enough!"

Ash blushed and looked down at his feet "Sorry Riley"

Riley immediately relaxed and said "Alright Ash listen to me very carefully," Ash nodded "Very well Ash, I am going to take you to Saffron City so you can stay with the royal family."

Ash's jaw dropped to the floor "What!" he exclaimed

Riley nodded "Yes you heard right, you will be living with King Giovanni and Queen Mary," he said "I also believe they have a son around your age, what was his name…. Ah yes Gary the grandson of Professor Oak."

Ash was dumbfounded, he would get to live in a castle! "Alright let's go!" he yelled dragging the poor man behind him.

* * *

_Petalburg City, Kingdom of Hoenn_

"May come downstairs darling, it's time for dinner." Caroline Queen of Hoenn said to her five year old daughter.

"Coming mum!" The small princess said.

King Norman looked down the table at his family, there was his beautiful wife and of course his two children May and the two year old Max who was heir to the throne. He smiled to himself.

"What are grinning at?" the Queen asked

"Nothing dear" said Norman

Hoenn was very different from Kanto, it was much more peaceful in the cities but the environment was much harsher. The king loved his family and wanted nothing more to protect them from the world. He wished for them to never see the terrors of war.

* * *

_Kingdom of Kanto Somewhere between Pallet and Cinnabar Island_

"Are we there yet?" Ash asked what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

"No! Now stop pestering me about it" Riley snapped.

"Yes sir…" Ash mumbled, shrinking to the man's harsh tone

The two travellers were on a boat headed towards the fabled Cinnabar Island. Riley decided it would be best to make a few stops before taking the boy to the palace. The trip took two weeks and once they arrived Riley dragged Ash, Pichu and Riolu to the foot of the volcano where his special friend was hidden. At the foot of the mountain the five companions found a hidden hot spring with a flowing river nearby. And there meditating next to the hot spring was a larger version of Riolu.

"Ash I'd like you to meet my partner, Lucario." Riley said approaching the pokemon

Lucario opened one of it's eyes and growled it's recognition.

"Riley what is this place?" Ash asked.

"**This is a sacred place used for training by many Aura Guardians.**" Said a voice in Ash's head.

Ash jumped back and said "Riley I think you Lucario just talked to me."

Riley nodded with his eyes closed "Yes it would seem so, Lucario would you mind just talking to me for a bit?"

Ash just watched as the two older beings communicated. He decided to try and talk to his pokemon.

"**Riolu can you hear me?" **Ash asked with his mind

**"Yes Ash, I can." **Was Riolu's answer

**"Okay."** Ash replied

"Ash come here a minute please!" Riley called

"Coming!" Ash answered.

"Well Ash I'm glad you're here." Riley said.

"Why?" was Ash's confused reply

"I'd like to tell you a few things about your father." Riley said in a mysterious voice

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**Hi! So I had to end it there because I can't think of any way to continue this conversation just yet. But don't worry because a new Chapter will be coming your way real soon!**

**See you later- A**

**(Again sorry for how not that much happened in this chapter. If my calculations are correct, the next few chapters might be a bit slow but they are important to make sure the story progresses properly)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, hi guys! I'm back from a week of thinking of how to progress the story (kinda). Anyway I'm hoping this one will be a little longer than the others as I pretty much have the whole day ahead of me (also kinda). So I guess there's not much more to say but ENJOY THE CHAPTER! (Some of the ideas and themes used in this FanFiction are from the story "The Aura is with the Forgotten" by Gerbilftw. I received permission to use these ideas.) P.S I don't own pokemon… duh Enjoy the chapter!**

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"I am going to tell you a few things about, your father." Riley said in a mysterious voice.

Ash looked flabbergasted, "You know my daddy?"

Riley nodded "You might want to sit down, this is a long one."

Ash wordlessly sat down on the soft, cool grass with his Pichu and Riolu by his side

Riley sighed, "Very well, here goes."

_A raging war was happening at the moment. Kanto and Hoenn had been forced to join forces just to fight against the attacking Johto and Sinnoh armies. This had been going on for weeks thought a man with raven black hair and a blue hat. The man heard a cry for help and saw that it was a knight from Kanto and he was fighting valiantly against a group of ten. The man in blue decided that this was enough… he drew his sword which unlike the usual broadswords, was something more of a rapier. The man smiled down at the weapon he had forged himself, it was simple and yet elegant at the same time. The crosspiece and pommel were made of brass. The crosspiece had two bits that winged out in different directions, one to protect his knuckles and the other to assist in fighting. Without another thought the man jumped into the fray, willing to protect another of his kingdom. His opponent looked the strange man in blue up and down, analysing him. He grinned when he saw a thin puny looking sword in the man's right hand. Likewise the man in blue was eyeing his opponent. "This one's most likely all brawns and no brains, this should be easy," he grinned. "You'd best get that smile off your face bub or I'll take it off," snarled the big man. The strange man continued to grin, "You know I would like to but I've just realised that I've won this battle!" he spoke calmly. "What? With that thing you call a sword? You must not know who I am, I am Captain Russell and I am Sinnoh's most skilled fighter." The man named Russell then expected the slightly shorter man to back away but was instead met by a cold stare that put him off. When the man spoke he sounded as calm as ever which only put him off more, "I can see that you have also not heard of me, well Russell my name is Sir Riley and I am an Aura Guardian." Something clicked in the Captain's mind and then he began to back away, "No please, I didn't know! I…" but was cut off when Riley said "Shut up! People like you make me sick, ganging up on another man ten on one? Well let's see how you like it when the stakes are turned against you." And with that he shot off nine spheres of a whirling blue energy. They hit Russell's followers square in the chest, killing them instantly. Russell looked to see his comrades murdered while Riley turned away to shed a single tear. "I apologise…" he spoke in an undertone. Russell became infuriated and charged towards Riley, massive, two-handed broadsword coming down only to be blocked by the thin, sleek blade of the rapier. Riley smiled at the man "This is no ordinary sword, it has been infused with my own aura. It cannot be broken and will never dull." Russell now knew he could accept defeat, despite his not so good intentions, he was an honest man "Sir Riley I have never met someone like you before. And so I ask you one last thing, make it quick?" Riley looked down at the man who was now on his knees. "Very well." Riley raised his sword but instead of delivering the killing blow he slowly lowered onto his shoulder. "From this day forward, Sir Russell, Captain of Sinnoh is dead. You will now be known as Russell the farmer. Tell me Russell do you have a family?" Russell nodded "Yes a wife and two children. Why?" Riley grinned "I wish for you to leave Sinnoh, find a more peaceful region and make a living there" Russell shrugged "Very well, goodbye Sir Riley." The battle had finally ended and many were being taken back to their bases. Riley knew he would most likely have less than a week to do what he must. He then ran into the man he had saved. "Hello there!" Riley smiled at the man who returned the smile "What no tough guy this time?" he grinned "Well anyway my name is Jarred, Jarred Ketchum." Riley and Jarred shook hands. "Well Jarred I have a mission that could well stop this war completely." Jarred raised his eyebrows and motioned for the man to continue. Riley nodded "I want the two of us to go to each of the four kingdoms so that's two each and get the kings to sign a peace treaty." Jarred saw the logic "I see, when do we leave?" Riley smiled "Right now!" he then raised a fist "Come to me my friends!" Over the mountain flew two large Pidgeots who landed in front of the men. "We fly on a Pidgeot to each kingdom, it will be much faster," Riley stated "I will go to Sinnoh and Johto and you will go to Kanto and Hoenn." After a week the arrangements had been made. The treaty was to be signed at the base of Mt Moon due to Kanto being the oldest kingdom. The day went by so fast, each of the four kings Giovanni, Pryce, Norman and Volkner gave their speeches and agreed to not harm anyone for the next fifty years to which the treaty would have to be renewed. Riley and Jarred were rewarded for their efforts and were toasted many times during the celebration. The two men stood there beaming and waving._

"And then one day a couple of days before you were even born Jarred went missing, nobody even knows if he's still alive," said Riley sadly. He looked at the small child and said solemnly "So there you have it, the reason of why you never had a dad,"

Ash didn't know what to say, he felt like crying but he had to try and cover it up like he was doing with his mother, he had to be strong for Riley. But he couldn't hold them any longer, he began to cry, not a cry of which a child would make for no reason but a strangely adultlike cry filled with emotions.

"There, there it's alright Ash, let it all out," he spoke in a caring voice as he hugged the child. Eventually Ash went to sleep and Riley decided to send a letter to the King of Kanto to let him know he would be there. He help up the letter to a Pidgey to be taken directly to the king. Riley took one last look at the small child before falling asleep himself.

* * *

_Saffron City, Kingdom of Kanto_

"My lord!" a short, bald man shouted as he ran towards the throne room. Once he reached it he shouted "King Giovanni! Sir Riley is coming here!"

"Calm down man! Now tell me slowly." The king said to the man with a hint of a smile

"Yes, sorry your highness. A carrier pidgey came here and delivered a letter to you," the short man said and held out the letter.

Giovanni took it and read it.

_Giovanni,_

_I will be coming to the palace within a week or two. I have a favour to ask of you_

_Riley._

Giovanni laughed at the prospect of seeing his old friend again but then frowned "I wonder what the favour is" he thought but then shrugged

"Daddy?" A small five year old prince walked into the throne room.

"Hello Gary," he beamed at his heir "Is there something on your mind?"

Gary nodded "Daddy I've been thinking and I've decided that I want a friend who isn't a girl or a servant" Gary said referring to his older sister Princess Daisy and his personal servant William.

Giovanni sighed "I'm sorry Gary but there just isn't anything I can do about it right now," Gary looked to the floor "But look on the bright side, Sir Riley is coming to visit!"

Gary immediately looked up "You mean it?!"

Giovanni laughed "That's right son."

* * *

The next week flew quickly by and Riley had still not arrived. However halfway through the second week two hooded travellers were spotted followed by two jackal like pokemon and a yellow rodent on the shorter one's shoulder. The travellers walked right up to Saffron Palace.

A guard stood in front of them "Halt! State your name and business here," The guard said with a hand on his sword.

The taller of the two travellers spoke first "My name is Sir Riley. I am an Aura Guardian of Kanto and I am here to see the king.

The guard merely nodded and looked to the shorter one who looked to be no more than five years old "And you?"

The short traveller said "My name is Ash Ketchum and I have been escorted here by Sir Riley." He spoke the words exactly as Riley had told him to.

The guard then said "Very well, you will find the king in the throne room."

"Thank you good sir" The tall man said walking by.

As Ash and Riley opened the doors to the Throne Room they lowered their hoods and bowed. Sitting on the thrones were King Giovanni and his wife Queen Agatha. Each door in the room was guarded by two men in chainmail armour with a Red tunic over it emblazoned with the silhouettes of the three legendary birds surrounding a large 'K.' Ash looked nervously around but then the king spoke thus breaking the silence.

"Riley! It has been too long," Giovanni said embracing his friend who had helped form the treaty.

Riley grinned "Indeed it has my lord. I trust you received my letter?" he asked

"Yes of course! So what is it that I owe the great Sir Riley?" the king asked with a big smile

Riley just looked at him sheepishly "Well you see my king, I have a lot of err… errands to do for the guardians and thus I can't take the boy with me" indicating Ash

Giovanni looked at Ash for the first time and he turned back to Riley "Riley please don't tell me what I think you're going to say" the king gulped

Riley sweat dropped "Well I was just wondering if you could watch him for a while?" Riley proceded cautiously

"For how long?" Giovanni asked sceptically

"Erm… for five years," Riley answered

"Agatha what do you think?" Giovanni asked his queen

"Well Gary was looking for a friend and besides we can't just leave him" Agatha smiled at the young boy

"Riley can I discuss this with you outside?" Giovanni asked the man

"Of course my king," The two of them walked outside and closed the door behind them leaving Ash alone with the queen and of course, the armed guards.

* * *

_Outside the door_

"Why?" Giovanni simply asked

"My lord I have taken a look inside Ash and found that he has the potential to become an Aura Guardian. But he is too young at the moment and he has nowhere else to go. You know full well that his mother has recently been murdered and Ash himself scarred." Riley persuaded the king

Giovanni thought long and hard about his predicament and came to a decision "Follow me," he ordered

The two walked back inside the throne room and saw that Ash was talking to the queen about something. "Ahem," Giovanni coughed

The pair looked up with questioning eyes and the queen said "Well?"

"He stays," the king said simply "We will make him a temporary member of the royal family while Riley is off doing his… errands," the king smirked

"Thank you my king and I promise I'll be back in five years time, remember Ash keep your head up high and have some fun!" Riley said "Well I must be off now," he turned around but a voice stopped him

"Riley, how is my father?" The queen asked him

Riley smiled "Don't worry my queen, Professor Oak will be perfectly fine," and with that he finally turned and left.

Giovanni turned to his new adopted son "Well Ash I welcome you to the royal family, although I think that it is safer if we call you something different from now on," the king said

Ash looked puzzled "What's wrong with my name?" he asked

The queen caught on quickly "Nothing dear it's just that it doesn't sound very _royal_," she said "Perhaps if we just called you Ashton?"

Ash thought about it for a bit and just took her word for it "Alright I guess…"

"Very well Ashton I suggest we get you in some better clothing, then you can get washed up and we will have dinner," Giovanni said

At the mention of food Ash immediately got excited "Alright then," Ash beamed

The sudden change in mood made the king and queen get slightly taken aback but they shrugged it off.

An hour and a half later Ash stood there in the dining room. He was now dressed in a red tunic over a white undershirt. The tunic was lined with gold and was held in place by a simple black leather belt. He wore tight dark grey pants and brown boots. He looked over at his new family and found the king and queen but also two others. A teenager who appeared to be fifteen stepped over to him and hugged the young boy which surprised him.

"It's nice to meet you Ashton, my name is Daisy and I guess I'm your older sister," the girl spoke to him

Ash liked the fact that he was being welcomed and said "It's nice to meet you too Daisy but is it okay if you call me Ash?" He understood he had to sound royal but he liked Ash better

With this Giovanni said "Ashton you need to learn to like your new name, you are technically royalty now"

"I know but can you at least call me Ash here at home?" he asked

Giovanni's eyes narrowed as he said "Very well Ashton, if anyone so chooses they may call you you're preferred name,"

"Thank you," Ash bowed his head slightly

Just then the other being got up and walked up to Ash. He appeared to be the same age as Ash but also a few inches taller. The child then spoke to Ash.

"Hi I'm Gary, it's nice to meet you Ash," he said holding out a hand which Ash shook

"Alright boys sit down dinner is ready" Queen Agatha said kindly

At that moment a feast was brought out and placed on the table. Ash began to eat ravenously and once he was full, his new family began to ask him questions about his life so far. That night was filled with laughing, belching, apologising and occasionally, crying.

As Ash lay in his bed after that feast he began to think about what would happen for the next few years. He then thought to himself with a smirk "Perhaps this won't be too bad after all, just another Adventure!"

* * *

**Alright so there you have it, the next chapter in the story. If that explanation of Ash's father wasn't what you expected, sorry? And for those who are waiting for the advanceshipping, there will be a little in the next chapter, probably… anyway be sure to tell me what you thought of this chapter, if you spot any mistakes in my there, don't be afraid to point them out. So I guess that's it, the next chapter might be out sooner this time (probably not) Hey! Shut up me! Well that's it… again and I'll have a new chapter up soon.**

**BYE!- A**


	4. Chapter 4

**So yeah… hi. It's me and I have another chapter for you guys and girls. But first I believe I have a little explaining to do. When I posted my third chapter I took a little break to help me figure out what would happen in the next chapter. Then as it turned out, my family and I were going down to the beach for six days. I got sunburned. I took another few days for relaxation from the big weekend. And then of course, school started again. So that's why the chapters taken a little longer to come out. But I've got a longer one for you this time. I've just finished my homework and have decided to start writing this. But anyway, the chapters may or may not come as frequently from now on, but you never know. Alright before I start the chapter I just wanted to list a very special person who has reviewed every chapter so far! Put your hands together for ** **novaking2832! Thanks for all the support. Now onwards to the chapter! (Some of the ideas and themes used in this FanFiction are from the story "The Aura is with the Forgotten" by Gerbilftw. I received permission to use these ideas.) P.S I don't own pokemon… duh**

* * *

Ash and Gary were playing hide and seek in the royal gardens. Ash was hiding and Gary was searching for him. Out of the corner of his eye, Gary saw a flash of red. He smiled to himself as he turned around expecting to see Ash half way from a hiding place. But when he turned, he saw nothing but the garden.

"Huh? I could of sworn I saw him," he muttered "Meh… I'll find him soon enough"

He turned around to start searching again but there was something standing there, it appeared to be a pokemon of some kind, but not one he had ever seen before. It stood at about five feet tall, and was red in colour. I had large grey wings and it appeared to be some kind of insect. Its head was kite shaped and three large prongs jutted out the top of its head, its eyes were yellow and intimidating. But perhaps what the most terrifying part about it was the two large pincers it had in the place of hands. Gary immediately stood still, frightened by the strange pokemon.

"Sizor!" The red pokemon roared as it started to fly towards Gary.

"Gary watch out!" a voice yelled before Gary was talked to the ground just evading the large pincer which had snapped right where his neck was a second ago.

Gary looked towards his saviour and saw that it was none other than Ash. He was about to thank his friend but Ash had already stood up and started to run towards the pokemon.

"Pichu, shock him!" Ash yelled

His yellow pokemon charged up its electricity and sent it towards the larger pokemon. The attack caught the Scizor by surprise and was hit directly by the thundershock. Unfortunately as Pichu was still young, it took damage itself and fainted.

"Darn, I forgot about that," Ash muttered to himself "Very well. **Riolu I require your assistance**" He said the last part not by voice but through his mind towards the small jackal like pokemon.

"**Of course Ash."** Riolu replied back.

The Scizor however was already furious and started to charge up a ball of orange energy in his pincers. Rilou started to charge a blue ball of energy in both its hands. At the same time both pokemon fired their attacks and at the same time they both collided and exploded in mid-air. Everyone was thrown backwards. The now even more furious Scizor decided this garden needed a remodelling. He charged a new blast of orange energy but instead of aiming at the pokemon, it aimed at the flowers and trees around the place. Once it released the strong beam of orange energy, everything started to catch on fire. Suddenly a memory sparked in Ash's mind, a burning house. Ash shook it off. But the longer he looked at the fire more and more memories came back to him, a smiling woman, a large scary man, a small knife, a burning house, a burning tree and worst of all, a dead mother lying in his arms. The tears started to well up in his eyes and he didn't want to hold them back. He clasped his hands over his ears and shouted "Stop this!" The tears still heavy in his eyes. And before he knew it, he blacked out.

* * *

Ash felt warmth surrounding him he opened his eyes expecting to see a blazing inferno but was surprised to find himself in his own bed, surrounded by a bunch of people. He quickly recognized them as his foster family and let out a groan as he sat up. His family who were previously deep in conversation looked at him and were overjoyed to see that Ash was awake. Queen Agatha was the first to reach him. He pulled him into a quick hug.

"Ashton dear, you may not be a true member of our family but we will still treat you as one of our own," she said in a soft voice "And so I need to scold you for your foolishness, what in the world made you think you could take on a Sczior by yourself?" she asked sternly.

"Meh… I was only trying to protect Gary." he shrugged.

Agatha pulled him into another hug.

"Don't scare me like that, okay?" she said.

"Yes mum" Ash said quietly

Next to hug him was his foster sister, Daisy.

"Mum's right Ash, you should be more careful, we don't want you gone so soon. I mean you just got here." Daisy said who appeared to also be crying.

"Sure thing sis" Ash winked

Although Ash wasn't a proper member of the family he still liked to call them their 'Family Titles' as it only felt right to him.

The next person to come up to him was King Giovanni. He didn't look to be in tears but he still had a sad look on his face.

"I promised Sir Riley that I would take care of you. But I can't do that when you're all passed out in a burning garden. Please be more careful Ashton." Giovanni said

Ash grinned "Sure thing pops" he laughed

The other family members all decided to go to bed, all except one. Once the others had left, it was just Ash and Gary.

"Ash I wanted to thank you for saving me. I really could have died back there." Gary said

Ash merely shrugged "Think nothing of it, you would have done the same." He then said in a tired voice "I think I'll be going back to sleep now. Goodnight Gary."

As Gary left the room, he thought he could here crying but he thought nothing of it. He walked straight down the corridor through his bedroom door and straight to his bed. "It's been a long day." He muttered to himself.

* * *

_Petalburg City, Kingdom of Hoenn_

In the throne room of the Palace of Petalburg, King Norman sat there reading a letter from the King of Kanto, his old time friend. It was late at night and he was reading from candlelight.

_Norman,_

_A few things have happened in the past few weeks. To start things off I've adopted a young boy into my family. He is about Gary and May's age. By the way how is May? Anyway the reasons behind my decision are to be kept a secret until a later date. But I have something to tell you. Just a week ago a Scizor attacked Ash and Gary while they were playing in the garden. From what Gary tells me, he would be dead if Ash hadn't knocked him out of the way. Then Ash started to battle with the Scizor. Eventually the Scizor went on a rampage and began to use Hyper Beam on the whole garden. According to Gary, after seeing the fire Ash began to freeze up and start shouting at the sky. He then fainted. If you know anything about what could have happened please contact me._

_Sincerely Giovanni, King of Kanto_

Norman was puzzled by the letter. He re-read a few times to make sure he understood everything. After reading it for the fifth time he still couldn't understand why a Scizor would suddenly show up in Kanto and attack a pair of children. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw his wife standing there smiling.

"Norman, it's time for bed, come on. You can figure things out tomorrow." Caroline said.

"Yes, thank you Caroline." Norman said.

* * *

_One year later, Kingdom of Kanto_

The day was Ash's sixth birthday and as he soon realised it was also Gary's sixth birthday. The King and Queen threw a massive party which involved the whole city who had accepted Ash as a lord. That night was filled with dancing and generally partying hard. Ash noticed that Gary kept looking at a red headed girl. Ash quickly realised he was blushing and decided to take action.

"Gary's got a crush." he teased while laughing

Gary immediately blushed even harder.

"Do not!" he muttered

"Do too!" Ash replied

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"DO NOT!" Gary shouted

At that very moment the red headed girl walked up to the pair and bowed her head in respect.

"Prince Gary, Lord Ash. A pleasure to meet you, my name is Misty." She said with a little bit of a blush on her face.

Gary blushed even harder at this.

"Nice to meet you Misty." He replied, a little shy.

Ash just snickered and walked over to the food table.

By the end of the night Gary looked rather happy with himself. Ash shrugged it off and eventually they both just went to bed.

Giovanni couldn't sleep, he kept on pacing around his room and eventually walked into his study. He picked up the first thing he saw, which happened to be a letter from King Norman he had received a year ago.

_Giovanni,_

_I'm sorry but I have no idea why a Scizor would attack your son like that. This is all I can write for the moment._

_Take care, Norman_

Giovanni had been frustrated when he received such a short letter but got over it quickly enough. He then noticed a Pidgey standing outside his window. It had a letter in its beak. He took it and the bird flew off. The king opened the letter and smiled as he read it. Well the children are going to be happy.

The next morning, Ash and Gary were being taught how to play chess by the Chief Advisor Brock. Daisy was just watching them move the little pieces as they learned how to play. Suddenly the door opened and the King walked in.

"Kids! I have great news!" he said happily.

The children just looked at him confused.

"Huh?" they all said simultaneously.

"I just received this letter from the King of Hoenn. His daughter Princess May will be turning six in a few weeks' time. He has invited the whole family to come down a little earlier so that we can all meet each other." Giovanni explained.

After that had been explained, the children all roared with excitement.

_"Yet another adventure!"_ Ash thought.

* * *

It took two weeks to travel from Kanto to Hoenn. The princess' birthday would be in three weeks, which gave the Kanto royal family time to learn more about the other family, have fun and even help setting up the party. Ash felt rather left out, although he was dressed like royalty, he knew that the other family may not accept him and call him a peasant. But much to his surprise, the family of Hoenn didn't treat him badly at all. In fact, it was the complete opposite.

"Ah! So you must be Ashton," King Norman exclaimed "So nice to finally meet you."

He shook the young boys hand and Ash just smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too sir, but please, call me Ash. Only my foster parents call me Ashton." The small boy replied.

"An assertive one! I like that. Very well, welcome to my home _Ash_," Norman said placing extra emphasis on his name. "But please, you can call me Norman."

"Yes Norman." Ash said smiling

"Gary! I haven't seen you since you were two years old. It's good to see you again." Norman said turning to the other small boy.

"You too sir," he replied "I mean Norman." He added after receiving a look from the king.

All of the royals greeted each other and finally the Kanto was invited into the large palace. It was a throne room. The doors were guarded by people dressed in almost identical outfits as the ones in Kanto, however their tunics were Green and depicted the three legendary weather pokemon in blue surrounding a capital 'H.' Ash and Gary went off to play somewhere but what they didn't realise was that a brown haired girl was following them.

_Royal Gardens of Petalburg, Kingdom of Hoenn_

Ash and Gary arrived at the play spot and were starting to figure out what they would play. Suddenly they heard a timid voice.

"Um… is it… okay if I play…um… with you?" the voice asked.

Ash and Gary turned around to see none other than Princess May Maple. Gary grinned but Ash frowned. Not for the fact that he was meeting someone new but because he felt a strange feeling inside of his chest. He didn't know what it was so he shrugged it off and put on his own confident smile.

"Hey May! I haven't seen you since we were even younger than we are now. Of course you can play with us." Gary said smoothly

May was now over her initial timidness but still felt a little uneasy due to the other boy. She took in his details. Raven black hair which was spiky and messy, strange lighting shaped scars on his cheeks, and a tanned face. But that was it, the face. It was dressed with a confident smile that made her heart start to beat faster. She looked down, embarrassed, but then she got the courage to look into the boy's eyes. They were a deep brown colour and she couldn't help but feel safer looking into them. She began to blush red; it was only the sound of a voice that snapped her out of it.

"Uh May! I just said you could play with us." Gary said.

"Oh sorry Gary, I was just daydreaming, but I didn't know you had a brother." She said a little confused.

"Oh! My apologies, my name is Ash Ketchum and I've been adopted into the royal family, kind of." Ash said remembering his manners.

"Pleased to meet you Ash, my name is May." remembering her lessons in etiquette.

"Well now that introductions are out of the way, let's have some fun!" Gary said excitedly.

For a whole hour they were playing hide and seek, tag and other fun games they could come up with. Eventually they were sitting down together talking. They all discovered that each of them had been instructed in music. Gary was a prodigy on the lute, while Ash could play a single drum. May on the hand had mastered both instruments and she could also play the flute. They began to get an idea. They would make their own band and play for the adults. Together they worked out a song to play and just before dinner they would perform it. Once they had mastered the song, they heard a call for dinner and they rushed in.

"Before we start eating, we would like to show you a song we came up with today." Gary said a little nervous.

The three of them took their positions and began to play a happy tune. Max, the prince of Hoenn started to dance to the music and eventually his parents joined in too. Soon, everyone in the hall was dancing to the upbeat music. When the song ended, the two families cheered and clapped. Dinner went smoothly and everyone went off to bed. The next day, the adults said they would be taking everyone down to the beach, even royalty needed beach time. Within two hours, everyone was ready. When they arrived at the beach, the children went into the water along with Norman. The day went on peacefully until something unexpected happened.

May was swimming out a little deeper than everyone else, but not too far out. She then spotted a blue jellyfish like pokemon.

"Tentacool" it cried

May just laughed at it, she went to pet it on the head but then she was surrounded by other Tentacool. She didn't know why and she was scared. She started to cry. Suddenly she felt something tug on her leg, it was a massive jellyfish that looked similar to the smaller ones.

"Tentacruel!" it roared

Unknown to May, she had just wandered into the Tentacruel's territory. She screamed out in terror as she felt the powerful pokemon start to drag her down.

In the shallow water, Ash was splashing water at Gary, when he noticed Pichu's ears perk up. He looked over to where Pichu was looking and saw that May was being dragged down by a Tentacruel. He didn't waste a single second, he put Pichu down in the cold water and he started to run out to deep water. He started swimming faster until he reached the swarm of jellyfish. He noticed Riolu had followed him out.

"**Riolu use Aura on the Tentacool to stop them from hurting me.**" Ash said through his mind

**"Will do Ash!"** Riolu replied.

Ash dived under the water and saw that Tentacruel was taking May to the ocean floor. He swam towards her. As soon as Ash reached the Tentacruel he tried to scare it away. The large pokemon ignored him until he noticed two lighting shaped scars on the boy's face. Tentacruel was terrified of electricity in any form and immediately let go of May to swim away from those lightning bolts. Ash grabbed her and swam to the surface. He carried her towards the sand and started pushing on her chest. Ash knew how to save someone from drowning as he had learned it in Kanto, three years ago by his mother. After a minute, May's eyes opened up and she coughed up the water in her. She looked up and saw Ash standing up and offering her a hand. He could see that the tentacle had twisted her ankle so she probably wouldn't be able to walk.

"Come on, you've twisted your ankle." Ash said with a kind smile.

May took the hand and stood up, but as soon as she put pressure on her leg she felt a sharp pain. She fell forward but was stopped by Ash. He was holding her in what could technically be a hug, but he didn't realise. May just blushed and pulled away from him. Ash helped her back to where all of the others were. Naturally everyone was shocked to hear what had happened. Ash received a look from Giovanni.

"What did I tell you about being more careful." He said sternly.

"Well technically dad, I was careful, I saved somebody from drowning and didn't get hurt in the process." Ash said grinning.

Giovanni felt a twinge of annoyance from being outsmarted by his foster son but then smiled himself.

"I guess you're right." He said with a grin.

The two families went back to the palace and got immediate attention on May's leg. The doctor used a meditite to use psychic to help put the ankle in a more straight position and bandaged it. He said she won't able to walk on it for a few days but she would recover fully. That night May woke up and looked to her left. Sitting in a chair, was a sleeping Ash, with his Pichu curled up in his lap and Riolu sitting next to him. Riolu opened one eye and put a paw over his mouth as if telling her to be quiet. With that she fell asleep again and had a dream about a certain raven haired boy.

The next day, Ash woke up and looked over at May. She was still asleep, her body was facing him.

_"She looks so peaceful when she sleeps"_ he thought.

He began to look at her more intently and realised that she had just woken up. He looked into those deep sapphire eyes and felt that feeling in his chest again. Once again, he shrugged it off.

"Sorry if I woke you." He said a little guilty

May simply stood and walked towards him, wincing whenever she stepped on her right leg. Ash stood up looking worried.

"You shouldn't be walking on that leg May." He said.

She just ignored him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Ash." she said quietly

Ash who had never been hugged by someone his own age before, let alone a girl said nothing. He felt that feeling in his chest again but once more he just ignored it.

"You're welcome May, but you should get back into bed, you don't want to hurt that ankle even more," Ash said "Remember you still have a birthday party in two weeks."

He put her back in bed and left the room, leaving May to think.

"_He's right, I should let my leg get better._" She thought.

Once again she fell asleep dreaming of the blacked haired boy, who had saved her life.

* * *

**Not sure if this counts as a cliffhanger but whatever. I could probably have written more but then I realised that this chapter was just filler. But don't worry, I intend to make the next few chapters a little more fast paced if possible. As I promised last time there was a little bit of Advancehipping, it wasn't much but what more would you expect, they're kids! Now I had to write this chapter over the course of two days, because of school. But now it's the weekend. I'll be checking for reviews tomorrow, so tell me if I should try write more frequently. I'll try my best but of course I might not be able to. Be sure to review the chapter and tell your friends about it. Best wishes to you all. Goodbye now.**

**~A**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I'm back with another chapter. Today I just felt creative and so I thought screw it, let's put that creativity to work. Also writing these chapters is really fun and love hearing what the readers think of my story. As for the character's growing up, I might try and have a time skip very soon. Again thanks to novaking2832 who has still reviewed every chapter so far. There's really not much more to say but, be sure to review and tell your friends! (Some of the ideas and themes used in this FanFiction are from the story "The Aura is with the Forgotten" by Gerbilftw. I received permission to use these ideas.) P.S I don't own pokemon… duh**

* * *

Two weeks had passed. May's birthday party would be in a few days and final preparations were being set up. May's ankle had long since healed and she could walk with no noticeable limp. Ash, May and Gary were out in the garden's again. They were sitting there, and talking. Then Giovanni called in Ash and Gary.

"Boys, I'd like to have a word with you two," he called from the window "Come up in a few minutes will you?"

"Okay!" the two boys called at the same time.

However, seeing how large the castle was, a few minutes translated to, 'You'd best come up here now.' And so with that, Ash and Gary went inside and up the stairs, with May close at their heels. Once the three children reached the study, they knocked on the door. Giovanni opened it and noticed May.

"I'm sorry May, but is it okay if I have a word with boys alone?" he asked kindly.

"Okay, I'll be waiting in the library." She said cheerfully.

Once May had left, Giovanni closed the door and turned to the two boys.

"It's good to see you've made friends. Now I've called you p here to talk about May's gift. I want you two to present it to her." He said.

"Us?" Ash asked perplexed.

"Yes you two!" Giovanni said a little annoyed by Ash's cluelessness "It would better if you two were the ones to present her gift because she knows you two the best."

Understanding dawned on Ash's face.

"Oh! I get it now." Ash said happily

"Also, I regret to inform you, that the day after the party we will be going back to Kanto." Giovanni said

The two boys turned on him in horror. They knew they would have to go back, but why so soon?

Giovanni seeing this look, explained hurriedly

"I still have a kingdom to rule you know, plus you two have to start on your literacy."

"Okay…" the boys said gloomily

"Don't worry, that's still four days away," Giovanni said trying to cheer them up "But run along now, you don't want to keep a lady waiting too long."

With that, Ash and Gary literally ran towards the castle library.

"Ah… kids these days." Giovanni muttered

* * *

The meeting in the library went as planned, the children sitting around a large table, making a plan of everything they had to do at May's party. And then, out of nowhere, the day of May's birthday came.

May, slowly opened her eyes. It was a beautiful morning she thought. Then her sight strayed from the window towards the door. Standing in front of her, were the two families.

"Happy Birthday!" they all yelled happily

May who had been still half asleep, got startled by the sudden noise and fell off her bed. She got up groaning a little. Then she started to laugh, soon after the others started laughing as well. May then hugged everyone and the two families went downstairs to the dining hall. They all had a big breakfast, and they all did their own things during the day. Eventually the party began, and just like Ash and Gary's party, the whole town was invited. There was laughing, eating, present giving and dancing. Eventually it was Ash and Gary's turn to present their gift to May.

"Happy Birthday May." They said simultaneously

May was about to start opening her present when she heard screams. She looked up and saw a large red pokemon standing in front of her. Ash immediately spurred into action and pushed her out of the way, much like he did with Gary.

"**Riolu, Now!"** he yelled with his mind

**"I'm on it Ash." **was the reply

Riolu fired an Aura Sphere at the Scizor, which hit it squarely in the back. The Scizors attention turned away from May and started to fight Riolu. May felt somebody pulling her up. She looked into the deep brown eyes and knew who it was.

"May I want you to run over there," he said indicating the spot "Gather everyone else to safety."

"What about Ash?" she asked

"I'm going to stay here for now, I can't leave my pokemon." He explained

May didn't want to go at all, but she knew it would be the safest option, for her at least.

"Be careful." She said tearfully

Ash grinned and turned his gaze towards the fight still in progress. The Scizor had the upper hand. So Ash decided it was time to take drastic measures.

"Pichu, Now!" he yelled to the pokemon on his shoulder

The Pichu fired the electricity at the Scizor and fainted. Ash had known the consequences. But at least he had gained the upper hand. Or so he thought. The Scizor began to charge up a Hyper Beam. And it was aimed right at the Pichu on the ground. Ash immediately ran forward, grabbed Pichu and rolled over to dodge the Hyper Beam. It missed him by a few centimetres, due to his quick thinking. The Scizor was once again charging a Hyper Beam, Ash dodged again, but this was where his good luck ended. The beam caught on the tapestries, setting them ablaze. Once again, Ash felt himself gazing into the flames as the memories came rushing back. He couldn't stop himself, he fell to his knees in despair. The Scizor came up behind him with his pincer raised, ready to finish the job. Pichu sensing his friend was in danger, woke up. He saw the bad pokemon charging towards Ash. This was too much for him, but he knew that in this body, he was weak. He needed to be stronger. He then felt a sudden tug on his soul. He took the invisible hand and began to glow white. His body grew bigger, until the light faded.

"Pikachu!" the knewly evolved Pikachu yelled triumphantly.

It sent a massive bolt of electricity towards the Scizor. The red pokemon yelled in pain and fled. Pikachu ran towards Ash, who was still a clump on the ground, with tears rolling down his face. He didn't pass out this time. The rest of the two families ran towards him. Giovanni called for a medic. When the man in white robe arrived, he checked Ash for vital signs of injury. He then used his Meditite to look inside the boys mind. After checking the results, he gave his verdict.

"The boy is in shock." He explained

Giovanni looked perplexed.

"Shock!? What do you mean shock?" he asked

"Something or someone has called up some memories. The boy must have been felt sorrow. Then all of a sudden, there's no more fire and the memories have gone as fast as they came. Thus the boy is in shock." The medic explained

After the party, everyone was sitting around Ash's bed. Ash eventually came to his senses.

"What's going on?" he asked

Giovanni looked up at him.

"This is getting out of hand Ashton, you need to be more careful!" he said

Ash looked at him.

"At least I tried to do something. What did you do? Nothing, that's what, you just stood there watching!" he said angrily.

With that Ash stood up and stormed out of the room. He needed time to calm down, alone. He sat there, hating everything at the moment. It was getting dark he noticed but he didn't care, he sat there on the hill in the garden. He looked up at the darkening sky. He saw the first star, and made a wish.

_I wish I could do a better job at protecting those I care for._

* * *

When all the light had faded, he walked back to the castle into his bedroom and he fell asleep. The next day, Ash woke up and noticed somebody had already packed his things. He walked to the dining room and saw everyone sitting there. He turned to Giovanni.

"I'm sorry" he said little lamely

"No Ash, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh on you." Giovanni said

They both hugged and then they sat down at the table once more. There was a small breakfast that morning. Then, in the afternoon, the Kanto Family said their goodbyes, and stepped into the red carriage. The Rapidash began to draw the carriage along, until the Maples could no longer see the red carriage. They walked inside and began to do their own things. May went into her room, and cried a little bit. Ash and Gary had been the best friends she'd ever had. Especially Ash, who had saved her life twice now. She decided she would write a song, a song to remind her of the good times she had while they were staying. As she took out her lute and began to write the song, she found that the lyrics tended to stray away from Gary and just be about Ash. She was surprised at first, but then embraced it and continued. She smiled as she thought about the boy who was now far, far away.

* * *

_Saffron City, Kingdom of Kanto_

_"Well, it was fun and all, but it's good to be home."_ Ash thought

"Ash, are you okay? You haven't talked much." Gary asked

"Yeah, I'm fine Gary, just fine." Ash replied, trailing off a little.

Four years had passed. It was the day of Ash and Gary's tenth birthday. The two boys had matured grown heaps since they were six. Ash was even the same height as Gary now. Pikachu and Riolu were stronger and happier than ever. Although Ash was happy to be ten, he knew that this would be the last year he would stay with the Royal family. But was also excited to go out and see the world. Ash and Gary wrote a letter to the Kingdom of Hoenn. They explained that Ash would be leaving the Royal Family. The return letter was from Princess May. She wished Ash good luck on his journey and told him to return safely. During the party, Gary had danced with Misty again and Ash just watched. The next day, there was someone in the throne room. He had black spiky hair, blue eyes and a blue hat. Standing next to him was a bipedal jackal like pokemon. Riley had returned.

Ash looked at himself in the mirror of his now empty bedroom. He was wearing a simple, red tunic over a grey undershirt. The tunic was held in place by a brown belt. He also had on white pants and brown boots. That was it, no gold, no sparkles. He just looked, normal, and he liked it. After checking himself out, Ash then walked downstairs and into the throne room. Standing closest to the door, was Riley and Lucario. Standing opposite him was the Royal family. Giovanni who was now Forty-five was the first to reach Ash.

"You may not have been my real son, but you will always be welcome in this family," He said with tears in his eyes. "That painting wasn't made for nothing." He indicated the painting above the throne which had been painted on Ash's ninth birthday. It portrayed the royal family, Ash included. Ash hugged the man he had called father, the tears now starting to well up in his eyes.

The next to reach him was a now twenty year old Daisy. She was also crying. She hugged Ash but couldn't bring herself to say anything. The forty-two year old Queen was next. She place a kiss upon Ash's forehead and said.

"May that guide you through your journey, and make sure you come back safely."

Finally, much like when they had first met, Gary stepped up to him last.

"See you later Ash," he said grinning "Don't go fighting any Scizors alright."

Ash just hugged him now fully crying and managed to say.

"Goodbye, my brother."

Riley watched from the door. He felt a little guilty for tearing a family apart, but it had to be done. Eventually, Ash had dried his tears and he walked towards Riley. He waved one last goodbye towards the family and left. The family just watched as the boy with the Pikachu and Riolu left. They felt saddened but then remembered that Ash would return, no matter what.

* * *

**Well as much as I hate to end it here, I have no choice. It seemed like the best place to end it. The next chapter will be out soon enough. So now Ash has grown up and finally left the safety of the royal family, what will happen out in the wild? Anyway there isn't much to say here. Be sure to review the chapter and tell your friends about the story. And I'll be back with another chapter, real soon.**

**-A**


	6. Chapter 6

**Kay, so I'm back again, just like I said I would be. I've started to write this chapter because I've nothing better to do. Now I know that might sound bad, but I have no homework and there's nothing else to do, so I thought, let's write a killer chapter! And so here I am, writing a chapter. As always, special thanks to novaking2832 for reviewing every chapter so far. So, without further ado, I present to you, Chapter 6! (Some of the ideas and themes used in this FanFiction are from the story "The Aura is with the Forgotten" by Gerbilftw. I received permission to use these ideas.) P.S I don't pokemon… duh**

* * *

Two figures were walking through a forest. Both had Raven-black hair and rather tanned skin. The taller of the two was around Forty years old, while the shorter one was about ten. They had been walking for a week now, and the younger one was tired.

"Riley, where exactly are we going?" he asked

"A secret place Ash," the one called Riley replied "Don't worry though, we should be there in the evening."

"Okay…" Ash said disgruntled

True to his word, Riley and Ash arrived at their destination that night; it was a rather large farm. Ash felt confused, and obviously it showed on his face because Riley spoke to him.

"This Ash is the hiding place of one of the first Aura Guardians," Riley explained "It's also just a farm."

"Why would an Aura Guardian need to go into hiding?" Ash asked confused "Aren't they all powerful?"

"You'll see Ash… you'll see" Riley said.

The two walked up to the front door of the farmhouse and knocked. It was answered by a man who looked to be thirty years old. This confused Ash greatly; surely he'd be old and wrinkly. The man looked at the two in front of him and smiled.

"Sir Riley, welcome to my dwelling once again," He then turned to Ash "And I see you've brought young Ash."

The man had grey hair and a rather handsome face. This confused Ash even more but what surprised him, was the fact that the man knew his name.

"You know me sir?" Ash asked

The old man let out a bark of laughter.

"Did you hear that Riley? He called me Sir!" he said chuckling.

"Is that wrong?" Ash asked surprised by the man's outburst of laughing, surely if he was an Aura Guardian he should be spoken to respectfully.

"Well what's wrong is Sir isn't my name," the old man said cheerfully "Call me James."

"But I thought you were an Aura Guardian, so wouldn't that be _Sir_ James?" Ash was still confused.

"Come inside, I'll tell you everything," James then turned to Riley "And I think one has some explaining to do as well."

The three walked into a rather simple living area. There was a roaring fire and a kettle hanging over it. A large armchair was in front of the fire. A large red rug lay on the floor which appeared to be adorned by some kind of bird. A book shelf was backed against the wall. They walked through to the kitchen. It had a wooden table and chairs, on which they sat.

"Alright be right back." James said

The old man returned with the kettle which had been previously on the fire. On the table were three mugs which he filled up with steaming hot tea. They sat there for a few minutes saying nothing. Then James broke the silence.

"Alright Riley, your story is much more important." He said simply.

"Okay Ash, I want you to listen very carefully as I'm only going to say this once." Riley said

Ash nodded.

"Now I bet you're confused on why an Aura Guardian would come along to take a five year old boy with him? Yes, I thought so, the answer to that is simple. I didn't just _come along_ but rather I was sent, by James here. I'm going to cut right to the chase now, Ash you are an Aura Guardian." Riley said

Ash had been listening too intently and didn't notice what had been said.

"Um… Ash?" Riley waved a hand in front of the boy's eyes to get his attention.

"Oh… sorry what was that last part again Riley?" Ash asked sheepishly

"I said that you are an Aura Guardian!" Riley said exasperated

Finally the words sunk in and Ash fell backwards off his chair. The two older men helped him back up and sat him back on to his chair.

"Did you say that _I_ was an Aura Guardian?" Ash said completely surprised "No, that can't be right, I just Ash."

"No Ash you are an Aura Guardian, James here could sense you being born, he told me there was a sudden surge of energy that he felt coming from Pallet Town," Riley explained "Thus, he told me to look over you, and I did, for five years until those bandits came."

Ash remembered that day and felt the memories taking hold of him. He forced them down again and continued to listen.

"James ordered me to take you here when you tuned ten years old to begin your training. Obviously, you were five at the time and so I sent you to the Royal Family. I came here to discuss what we should do while you were gone," Riley continued "We decided it would be best to wait until you turned ten while doing everything in our power to protect you. Remember the Scizor? The reason it left was because we told it to go home to its master."

Ash was shocked, he kept thinking of what he should say but he couldn't so he remained silent.

"You're training starts tomorrow Ash but tonight you need rest." Riley said.

"Hold on, James said he would tell me everything!" Ash stated

"Are you sure you want to hear this story boy? It might give you nightmares…" James said

"I want to hear, I'm not afraid!" Ash said confidently

_"Just like his father…"_ James thought. "Very well, as I'm sure Riley's already told you, I was one of the original Aura Guardians." James said.

"Yes he did." Ash replied.

"Good, now no more interruptions…" James continued "There were three of us, myself and two others…"

_"Come on James keep up!"_ _Samantha called. "Well maybe if you didn't run so fast!" James snarled. "Guys just stop fighting please!" Mitchell groaned. James, Samantha and Mitchell were all adventurers. They travelled the world together and always have since they were ten years old. Each one was different which was what made them unique. James had a burning, fighting spirit and incredible instincts whereas Samantha was quick thinking and she moved just as fast too. Mitchell on the other hand was cunning and intelligent. The three called themselves 'The Wanderers.' _

_They were climbing a tall mountain, Samantha was in front, and James was in the middle trying to keep up while Mitchell was trailing walking behind. They reached the top of the mountain and gasped at the beauty they saw before them. It was a huge valley filled with pokemon. The three wanderers all looked at it in awe. Samantha got a little too close to the edge and slipped. She was caught by James and the two boys helped her up. The three walked down into the valley and felt a strange feeling come over them. "Hey Mitch, Sam, do you feel that?" James asked. "Yes," they replied "What is it do you think?" Mitch asked. This question went unanswered as there was a herd of Tauros charging towards them. There was no time to get out of the way, they all closed their eyes and braced for the impact and felt a sudden surge of energy overcome them. They had their eyes closed and yet they could see everything around them. It was blue. They could see eachother the most prominently though, with a blazing… aura coming off of them. They opened their eyes and saw that the herd had stopped running. In fact they were bowing, as if the three humans were royalty. The other surrounding pokemon bowed down as well. The three were guided towards three eggs. One was white with red and blue triangles around it, one was cream coloured with red spots and the final one was black on the bottom and blue on the top. This was all very strange._

_Two years later, James, Samantha and Mitchell had mastered this strange energy of which the called Aura. They had trained to become the most powerful beings in the world. But as they soon realised, they wouldn't live forever. The three beings became driven by power to find one single goal. To become immortal. They travelled the world searching for their prize until one day they heard that there was a strange root which supposed to grant eternal life. They found the root one year later. But they weren't the only ones. The Leader of the Black bandits wanted this root as well. He had an army behind him, but they were no match for three Aura Guardians and their pokemon. There was a bloodbath, filled with many deaths. Once it was over, the three of them lay next to each other, wounded. They felt bad for their actions and being driven by power. They were now happy to pass into the void, however as they looked to the skies they saw a massive red bird pokemon. It was the legendary Ho-oh. "You have disrupted the balance of the world Aura Guardians. I have been watching you for a long time. But know this, living forever isn't all that great. You lose loved ones and eventually you may develop into madness and try to kill yourself. But you can't. For the actions you have made I now curse you with Eternal Life. And so, they lived on a life full of regret and eventually the three friends fell apart. They have lived like this for A thousand years… and counting._

"That was a creepy story James," Ash said "What happened to your pokemon"

"It's just as Ho-Oh said, you will lose your loved ones," James explained "My Lucario passed away many, many years ago."

"Ash I think it's time you went to bed," Riley said "There's a lot of training to do tomorrow."

And everyone went to bed. At five o' clock the next morning, Ash was woken up from his sleep.

* * *

"Alright Ash, time for training," Riley said "Move it!"

Ash, Riolu and Pikachu stood in the living room in a straight line. James stood before them next to Riley.

"You will now address Riley and Myself as Master or Sir. You will obey our orders when we give them, no questions! If we tell you to run around the whole farm you will do it, do you understand!" James said.

"yes…" Ash said awkwardly

"Yes WHAT!" James yelled

"YES SIR!" Ash said loudly and clearly.

"Better, now go for a run around the whole farm, and we'll be watching. If you cheat, you'll have to start all over again." James ordered.

"Yes Sir!" Ash said and turned around and left with Pikachu and Riolu following behind.

An hour and a half later, Ash returned looking sweaty and tired.

"Alright Ash, have some water and meet us in the field in five minutes," Riley said "And leave your shirt here."

Five minutes later, Ash arrived in the field where he was greeted by Riley and James who were also shirtless.

"Ash, follow us now." James said

They walked for half an hour and reached a sort of pond surrounded by trees. It was very peaceful and quiet.

"You will sit here and meditate for one hour, take in the world around you and never once open your eyes." Riley said

Ash did so and found the experience relaxing and refreshing. When the time was up, Riley took him back to the farm. The three ate lunch and Ash was told to do work around the farm. He was given the most strenuous work and he had to do it right. By the end of it, his shoulders were burning. He was then led to combat practise.

"Alright Ash, remember, if you ever get into a fist fight, always be the one to strike first. Don't make it a weak punch either, try surprise you're opponent," Riley explained "Now hit me, as hard as you can."

"But sir, I don't…" Ash tried to say

"Ten push ups now!" Riley ordered

Ash did as he was told and when he got up Riley told him the same thing

"Now hit me. Come on hit me as hard as you can."

Ash threw a right hook at Riley's face and found it completely missed. He was then on the floor as he felt a large force push his arm out of the way and he lost his balance.

"You see Ash? You can't just throw a mighty punch, it's too easy to defend. Especially when your opponent is an Aura Guardian. Now, try hit me again, but this time use a left jab." Riley explained

Ash did as he was told and aimed a left jab at Riley's face, only to find it blocked again.

"Alright, that was better," Riley said "But I don't want you busting up my face, I need this thing you know"

He led Ash to a punching bag strung up to a tree branch.

"Now I'm going to call out attacks and you follow them," Riley said "Understand?"

"Yes Master" Ash replied

"Okay, let's start this off nice and easy… Right jab, Right Jab, Left hook, duck, left roundhouse kick…" Riley called out the orders and Ash followed them. He soon got the hang of it and mastered each technique Riley called out.

"That was really good Ash, now we move to sword training," Riley said "Here catch."

Riley threw Ash a hard, wooden stick.

Ash began to learn the art of sword play and soon enough the two were sparring. Ash was getting quite a beating. No matter what he tried he just couldn't hit the man. Riley then stopped.

"Oops… I'm sorry Ash I forgot to teach you how to not get hit." Riley said

Again, they sparred and Ash was getting better and better, and soon they were called back for dinner. After dinner, Ash was trained in the art of seeing with his Aura. The meditating had taught him that aura was within every living being and he just had to learn to see it. He and James sat side by side with their eyes closed. Ash could see a faint blue outline of the world.

"I can't do it master…"

"Ash, it's really quite simple, just take in the aura around you, not just the things you want to see, but everything." James explained

"Everything?" Ash asked

"Anything and everything." James nodded

Ash once again closed his eyes and took in all of the aura around him. He could see it! He thought, he could see everything around him, especially the large burst of aura coming from James. He could even see Riley watching for the farm house. When that was finished, Ash took a bath in the lake and the three had supper.

"Alright Ash, we'll see you up bright and early tomorrow, there's more training to be done." Riley said

This is how life went on for several weeks, Ash would be woken up at five in the morning, he would run around the farm. He would then meditate for an hour and then he would have lunch. He then did the hardest jobs on the farm and moved on immediately to combat practise. He have dinner and in the night, James would teach him to control his Aura. He would then have supper, go to sleep and do it all over again. It was very repetitive but he knew he was getting results. Ash and Riley stayed on the farm for a whole year, and it was soon to be Ash's eleventh birthday. During his sword practise, Ash had progresses to using steel swords with dulled edges. He noticed that it didn't feel right.

"Um… Sir?"

"Yes Ash? What is it?"

"Why doesn't my sword feel right in my hand?"

"Good question Ash, the answer is, that sword is designed for a knight. Do you know why Aura Guardians use Rapiers?" Riley asked

Ash shook his head.

"We use Rapiers because they are light and agile, just like ourselves. A sword must be an extension of one's arm and because a knight's sword is big and powerful, they are best used in a knight's hand," Riley explained "I think you're ready, come with me."

The two walked to the forge behind the farm.

"Alright Ash, you're going to forge your own sword," Riley stated "Take a look at mine."

It had a brown leather hilt, which had a darker leather wrapped around it. The crossguard was bronze and it waved out in different directions to form a knuckle guard. Two separate pieces waved out in opposite directions and engraved on the pommel, was the symbol on Riley's hat.

"Sir, what does that symbol mean?" Ash asked

"This? It represents a Pidgeot's eye. A Pidgeot is the symbol of freedom and justice, which is what we Aura Guardians stand to protect, thus the Pidgeot became out mascot." Riley explained "Now onwards with your sword."

"Why do I have to make my I own sword sir?" Ash asked

"As I explained before Ash, a sword is supposed to be an extension of your arm. You will make it yourself and infuse it with your own aura. This way, only you will be able to use it and it will be able to hold its own against a broadsword. Aura makes it nigh unbreakable." Riley explained

There were no more questions that night. Riley helped instruct Ash to make his own sword. Ash turned on the forge and sorted out the different pieces of steel into piles based on hardness. Riley helped him decide which pieces he would use. He chose to use a harder steel on the edge and a softer steel in the middle to help it flex. He melted down the steel and poured them into two different moulds. One mould formed the tang and was completely straight. The second mould formed the rest of the blade. Going from the base of the tang and going straight down to form a sharp tip. Ash was then ordered to infuse his aura with the inner sword. The next day, they heated up the outer sword and forged the inner sword into it. They sharpened the edges and Ash infused Aura into the outer blade.

"This will keep the sword razor sharp at all times." Riley explained

After another day, the sword was finished. It had a black leather hilt wrapped with a thin gold chain. The crossguard was silver and had a similar design to Riley's. The pommel was round and had the symbol of the Aura Guardians engraved into it. But they came across a problem. The sword was too heavy in the front.

"What should we do Ash?" Riley said "I hadn't thought of this happening."

Then Ash had an idea.

"What if we forge a little silver Pidgeot taking flight and attach it to the pommel?" Ash suggested

"Ash you're a genius!" Riley exclaimed

And that's just what they did.

* * *

The day was Ash's eleventh birthday. Ash, Riley and James gathered in the living room along with Pikachu and Riolu. They had a small party as it was the last day Ash and Riley would be staying on the farm. Ash had more training to do elsewhere. That night, Ash looked at the small portrait that had been painted of Ash and Gary as kids. He said Happy Birthday to the boy who was far away, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Ash, Riley, Pikachu and Riolu left the farm and moved onwards on their journey.

* * *

**Okay, so I did compress a lot into one chapter, I know but you know, it already took five chapters for Ash to grow up. I didn't want another thing like that happening. Now I've got some bad news. I've kind of lost my will to continue writing this thing at the moment. So send me a message and encourage me to continue, it'll help heaps. There's not really much more I can say. Be sure to Review and tell your friends. See if you can cheer me up, first one to do so gets a cookie. I'll have another chapter for you soon enough… hopefully.**

**-A**


	7. Chapter 7

**ALRIGHT! Put your pitchforks down… I'm back. So, you're probably wondering why I've been gone. Well some things have just come up is all, like school and… um… er… that's it… just school. Anyway, I'm back with another chapter for you guys… so enjoy. Again special thanks to novaking2832 for reviewing every chapter so far.** **(Some of the ideas and themes used in this FanFiction are from the story "The Aura is with the Forgotten" by Gerbilftw. I received permission to use these ideas.) P.S I don't own pokemon… duh**

* * *

The company had been travelling for two weeks since they had left the farm. Ash was beginning to get really tired. He looked to his shoulder where Pikachu was resting. He smiled at the yellow mouse, dreaming peacefully. To Ash's right was the always present, Riolu and to his left was Sir Riley and Lucario. All of a sudden, Riley stopped walking. He closed his eyes and by now, Ash could tell that he was sensing the area with aura.

"This is it…" Riley mutters "Come now Ash, we're almost there!"

The older man started to jog towards the foot of what appeared to be a mountain. Ash started to jog after the man.

"Sir! Wait up!" Ash yells "Wait for me!"

Once Ash had caught up to Riley, he saw a beautiful sight. It was a small clearing with vibrant green grass, clear water in a river and a small waterfall. It almost looked exactly like the one where he had first met Riley's Lucario… six years ago.

"Sir, these clearings…" Ash asks "What are they?"

Riley grinned "These are called Aura Points" Riley explained "You see, every living thing has some kind of aura. And every living thing is different which means that the aura will be different as well. These Aura Points are where there is a very large amount of aura packed into one place. That is why they are the ideal place for a young aura guardian to train to master his or her aura."

Ash still had more questions though.

"But sir, why are the Aura Points always at the foot of a mountain?" Ash asks

"The answer to that Ash, is because mountains are connected directly to aura. Do you remember that story James told, about the pokemon valley?"

Ash nods "Yes…"

"That valley, due to all of the living beings and the use of three very powerful Aura Guardians created a large rock formation. This rock formation is now known as The Tree of Beginning. It is the beginning of all aura sources. It is called a tree because it looks like a gigantic tree, but there is more to it than that. The tree of beginning has channels of aura stretching all over the world, almost like roots. And thus, this mountain here, is the offspring you could say, of The Tree of Beginning. Riley explains.

"Are you saying that every mountain is connected to The Tree?" Ash asked.

"Indeed, the tree is also where we Aura Guardians get our source of power. Look here…" he points to a strange blue crystal coming out of the ground. "This is called an aura crystal, it is also connected to the tree of beginning. The aura crystals are scattered around the world and channel the power of aura to the aura guardians who automatically absorb it. They are also a means of connection to other aura guardians. Say for instance, you stand here next to this crystal and I were on the other side of the planet next to another crystal, if you spoke through your mind while touching this stone, I would hear you."

"So the tree of beginning is the source of all aura? What would happen if it were destroyed?" Ash asked

"If the Tree were to be destroyed, then there would be no life what so ever. If there is no source of aura for everything to exist, then there is nothing left to exist." Riley says "There is another thing… as you already know, your source of aura comes from inside you, but if you were to take in more aura from the things around you, you could be even stronger as long as you stay tapped into the source. For example, if you were drawing aura from one of these crystals, you are in turn, drawing aura from the tree of beginning giving you almost unlimited power. But such an act comes at a cost, not many people are able to hold so much aura in their bodies at once. There are two outcomes if someone attempted this. Outcome one, you could destroy yourself and any living thing within a five mile radius. Outcome two, you could take too much aura and destroy the tree of beginning and thus, the world. You have to know your limits."

"Alright, I'll remember that… I'm tired" Ash said yawning

"Get some sleep, we'll continue training tomorrow." Riley said

With that, Ash fell asleep. He had a strange dream and yet it didn't feel like a dream.

_He was standing in a forest, looking down at Riley who was dead… He turned around a saw a black shadow coming towards him. It was holding a sword, a sharp, black bladed sword. Ash tried to back away but he found that he couldn't move. Ash looked around and saw the dead bodies of Pikachu, Riolu, Lucario, his foster family and… May. Ash couldn't take it anymore, he closed his eyes and waited for it all to end. Felt the cold touch of the sword against his throat. The shadow spoke to him, wake up Ash. Wake up. And then he woke up._

Ash let out a startled cry as he felt a hand touch him. It was only Riley… alive and well. Ash realised it must have been a nightmare and he sighed in relief.

"Are you alright Ash? You were jumping around in your sleep."

"I'm fine, let's just start…"

They had a fast breakfast and they meditated to make sure their aura was at its peak. Then, Ash began to learn how to use aura in combat.

"Alright Ash, an Aura Guardian's best weapon is how they use their aura. You need to keep an open mind and focus on everything. You need to make sure your opponent doesn't hit you. Then there are some offensive aura techniques. The simplest one is the Aura Sphere. You would have seen Riolu using it. Am I right?"

"Yes Sir" Ash nods

"Very well, I am going to attempt to hit you, I don't want you to hit back, only dodge and block my attacks all the while keeping an open mind and sensing everything. Are you ready?" Riley asked

"Yes Sir, I'm ready" Ash replies

Ash then felt a crushing pain on the side of his jaw.

"I thought you said you were ready" Riley says

"You could have at least said very well so I could prepare myself!" Ash exclaimed angrily

"And there's the first problem, you didn't have your guard up thus you weren't ready. I want you to open your mind now and sense the aura around you." Riley said "Good, now are you ready?"

"Yes sir"

Ash sensed the punch coming this time, he blocked it with a hand and then ducked as he could sense the second hit coming before it happened. He had really gotten good at it! And then that's where everything changed.

"Alright, well done Ash. Now put this blindfold on" Riley said handing him a blindfold "This time you must not_ sense_ the aura, but instead _see_ the aura. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir…" Ash muttered, he was a little worried

Ash began to open his mind to see the aura. He could see Riley coming towards him with his fists raised. Ash immediately began to defend himself. Again, he began to get the hang of it really easily, until he saw Riley throwing what appeared to be a ball of solid aura. Ash knew he couldn't just block it and he also knew, due to the way he had landed that he couldn't dodge it. So instead, he followed his instincts. He focused his aura into his hand. He could see the ball forming as the other one came ever closer. When the ball was big enough, he threw it. The two aura spheres collided in mid-air and exploded. Ash took of the blindfold and grunted in pain as he stood up.

"I knew you'd do that… well done Ash, you passed." Riley said

* * *

_Two years later_

In the past two years, Ash had finally mastered his aura completely. Now at thirteen years of age, he had grown taller. Due to the hard training, he developed hard, well defined muscles despite his young age. His Riolu had since evolved into a Lucario and Ash was now able to use aura to talk with Pikachu. Ash was now trained in many different types of weapons. Due to this, ash had created special armour which also served as a belt. It consisted of hard leather shoulder pads with two straps that formed into two belts at his waist. At his waist, he wore his rapier and a large dagger. Along the left should strap he had a collection of small throwing knives. On the right shoulder strap were small pouches which could hold medicines and rations. At the waist belts were larger pouches for different items such as money, and paper. At his wrists he wore two leather bracers. The one on his left arm also had a rectangle of light metal infused with aura which he used as a small shield. The one on the right was hard leather with small pouches. The bracers also stretched onto his hands and embedded into the bracers was a rounded aura crystal to help focus his aura.

"Ash, are you ready to go?" Riley called

After living away from civilisation for three years now, Ash was finally going back to see his foster family. He was more than a little excited.

"**Are you ready master?**" said a voice in his head

**"Yeah, Lucario I am."** Ash replied

The journey to Saffron City was uneventful. Upon their arrival, Ash and Riley walked up to the big castle. A guard stopped them.

"State your name and business" He said a little bored

"My name is Sir Riley, Aura Guardian" Riley stated

"Mine is Ash, apprenticed to Sir Riley and foster son of the king." Ash stated

"By the gods, Lord Ashton you are home!" The guard said while kneeling

Ash looked annoyed "Rise, I am no longer a lord, there is no need to bow" Ash said flatly

The guard after nodding opened the massive wooden doors. Sitting at the throne, with greying hair was the great King Giovanni. The king looked up and saw a young man with raven black hair, a goofy grin and deep auburn eyes.

"Ashton… Is that you?" he asked not believing his eyes

"Um… hello father." Ash said embarrassed

"Agatha! Ashton has returned!" Giovanni shouted

He then stood up and hugged his foster son. He looked at the young man before him. He still had the same looks and yet there was something different about him. He looked a lot more serious and intelligent. Then the queen appeared and she too gave Ash a big hug before Gary and Daisy showed up. They all hugged each other, finally a family reunited.

The family dined together in the large hall. Even Riley joined in. They all told stories of what had happened in Ash's absence. All the while, Ash and Gary were inseparable. But as quickly as they had arrived… Ash and Riley had to leave.

"I'm sorry Giovanni, but I need to take Ash to the Aura Council to officially announce him a guardian" Riley explained

"I understand, take care of him" Giovanni stated

"I think he can take care of himself by now" Riley grinned "But I'll keep an eye on him"

And with those final words, Ash and Riley turned away from the castle. They bought Ponyta from a horseman and together they rode, towards the Indigo Plateau.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

Ash and Riley stood on the edge of the Indigo Plateau, a large cliff facing the sea. And there, was the Aura Council. A large mansion emblazoned with blue banners depicting a pidgeot in flight. The council consisted of four elite Aura Guardians. Lance Dragontamer, Bruno the Sturdy, Lorraine the Wise and finally Samantha the Swift. Ash looked at Samantha in disbelief.

"Heard old James' story have you?" Samantha said "Yes it's all true, I too am immortal"

"Ashton Jarred Ketchum, you have been called here today before us because your mentor Sir Riley Ice-veins has suggested that you are ready to be made an Aura Guardian, do you agree with him?" Lance said

"Yes Sir, I do." Ash answered

The four members then closed their eyes and sensed Ash's aura.

"It has been decided." Bruno said

"On this day, you Aston Jarred Ketchum are an Aura Guardian" Lorraine said

"For Justice and Freedom!" Samantha cheered

"For Justice and Freedom!" everyone else chanted

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Ash is now a fully fledged Aura Guardian. What did you think of this chapter? Love it, hate it. Leave a review and tell me. Also if you have any suggestions to help me out, just say it. I might consider using it. Anyway, that's it for today. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll have a new one for you, eventually…**

**-A**


	8. Chapter 8

**All right! Another chapter for my loving readers. Hope you enjoy it… Oh yeah… novaking2832, I now speak directly to you… you have failed to review every chapter, sorry my friend. (Some of the ideas and themes used in this FanFiction are from the story "The Aura is with the Forgotten" by Gerbilftw. I received permission to use these ideas.) P.S I don't own pokemon… duh**

An entire year had passed since Ash Kethcum had been made an Aura Guardian and life was going rather smoothly. As Ash was now a fully-fledged Aura Guardian, he no longer needed Sir Riley as a mentor. The Aura Council had ordered Sir Riley to guard Cinnabar Island while Ash was to guard Saffron City. Ash had built his own cabin on the outskirts of the city but he was still able to see the Royal Family casually. Ash was now slightly taller than Gary which he pointed out very often. Princess Daisy was to be married to Prince Kenny, the eldest son of the Sinnoh royal family which would make Kanto and Sinnoh allies. Life was going perfectly and Ash had never been happier. But that all changed on that fateful day…

Ash was walking towards the royal palace when he heard a strange noise. It sounded like fire but he could see none. He ignored it but still kept his guard up. As he continued walking towards the palace, he heard a scream. He ran towards the sound and saw that Misty had been killed. He then heard a laugh, a maniacal laugh.

"Who's there?!" Ash shouted

There was no answer, the laugh had disappeared. Ash was now running as fast as he could towards the palace. As he reached the wall that surrounded the great castle, there was no guard. He ran up to the massive door and pushed it open.

"Mother! Father! Gary! Daisy! Are you in here!?" Ash screamed

Ash then calmed himself down, he saw Giovanni sitting on the throne… he was slouching. Ash tentatively walked up to him.

"Father?" he asked uncertainly

There was no answer… the great King Giovanni was dead. Now Ash was worried, he began to search every room in the castle hoping to find someone. Until… huddled up in his old bedroom was the rest of his family. They were alive!

"Oh, Ashton… what are you doing here?" Agatha asked

"I wanted to see you…" Ash replied

"No! You must run from here, we don't want you to get killed as well."

"Mother, I can't just leave you here" Ash said

"Ashton, listen to me, you are an Aura Guardian, you're too important to lose"

"But you are my family in all but blood, I don't want to lose you"

"Well I hate to break this little reunion up, but… DIE!" a voice said

Ash saw a dagger fly through the air and embedded itself deeply in his mother's chest. She coughed up blood and dropped dead. Ash turned in rage and saw, as if from a dream, the man who had scarred his face, Phantom.

"You!" Ash shouted

"Do I know you?" Phantom asked

But then he noticed the little lighting shaped scars on the boy's cheeks and a yellow mouse on his shoulder.

"You're that brat from Pallet Town!" he realised

"That's right, you killed my mother in cold blood. And now you've killed my foster parents. I vow to kill you" Ash said angrily

"Ash, don't do anything stupid! This guy is strong!" Gary shouted

"Shut up Gary! I know what this man is capable of" Ash snarled

Gary was taken aback, he had never seen Ash like this before.

"Please Ash just run! We'll be fine!" Daisy screamed

"I told you, I can't just leave you, I won't leave you!" Ash shouted

Ash then turned towards Phantom.

"I'll give you ten seconds to leave and never come back, otherwise I'll kill you" Ash said calmly

Gary and Daisy were surprised at how quickly the anger had subsided.

Phantom just laughed

"You think I'm scared of a little boy! Fight me then"

"**Lucario, Pikachu, stay out of this. This is my fight…"**

"**Yes Master." Lucario said**

"**But Ash…"**

"**No buts Pikachu!"**

Pikachu backed down

"Time's up Phantom, prepare to die!" Ash said

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, I always wanted to"

Phantom drew a large broadsword while Ash drew his Rapier.

"You think that little poker will do anything? You must dumber than I thought" Phantom remarked

"Try me…" Ash smiled

Phantom wanted to end the little boy quickly and so raised the sword above his head to kill him instantly. He brought the sword down in a wild arc and… it hit the floor. Phantom lost his balance and felt something push him over. He turned around to see the boy standing behind him.

"You'll have to try harder than that if you want to beat me…" Ash sneered

"You little…" Phantom began but was cut off when he felt a surge of pain in his hand.

"Oops, looks like my little poker has gone through your hand, I'm sorry" Ash said

Phantom went into a rage and tried to hack and slash his way to victory. But each time he got close to the boy, he hit nothing. He tried one more time and instead of hitting nothing, he heard the sound of steel on steel. This boy had blocked the mighty sword with his rapier.

"_Who is this kid?"_ Phantom thought

Ash slid his rapier slowly along the length of the broadsword, towards his neck. He looked the man directly in the eyes and all Phantom could do was watch paralysed with fear.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little boy?" Ash sneered

Phantom couldn't talk…

"Last words?" Ash asked

Phantom forced the words out

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sir Ash Ketchum and I'm and Aura Guardian" Ash said

Phantom paled

"I'll give you one last chance to surrender, on the condition that you never return here" Ash said

"I'll do anything just please don't kill me!" Phantom pleaded

"People like you disgust me." Ash said closing his eyes

Ash then knocked the man out with the hilt of his sword.

"Are there any guards still alive?" Ash called out

A group of twenty soldiers marched into the room

"You'll do… clean up this mess, make sure the royal children are protected. I want ten of you to search for any bandits still lurking in the city and prepare to hold a funeral in… a week." Ash ordered

"Yes sir!" All the guards called simultaneously

_The next day_

Ash was writing a letter to Sir Riley.

_Sir Riley,_

_I regret to inform you that the King and Queen have been murdered by Phantom. I took care of him but I couldn't kill him, but he won't be returning. We are holding a funeral in six days' time, I'm sure Giovanni would want you to be there._

_Signed,_

_Ash Ketchum, Guardian of the Aura, Rank One_

Ash summoned the fastest carrier Pidgey to deliver the message. He then walked to where Gary and Daisy were, in the royal garden. Gary was to be King of Kanto and Daisy would still be married to Kenny. Gary's coronation would be two days after the funeral.

"Are you alright Gary?" Ash asked

"Why didn't you kill him?"

Ash was taken aback by the question

"I don't know, I wanted to… but I didn't want to seem like a heartless killer I suppose, but mark my words, one day I will kill him." Ash vowed

Gary nodded

"What will you do now?"

"I intend to stay for the funeral and your coronation, but after that, I think I'm going to go out into the world with Sir Riley. I need to find out more answers to who Phantom is." Ash answered

Gary smiled as if he expected nothing else

"Always the adventurer hey Ash?"

"Yeah…"

_Six Days Later_

Everyone in the city came to say their goodbyes to the King and Queen. All the others that had been killed would be given to their families. Gary had been shocked to hear about Misty's death and it hit him hard.

"We come here today, to give our final respects to King Giovanni Convair and Queen Agatha Oak." The priest announced.

As the day went on, people began to say their own prayers and lay flowers and finally, Gary and Daisy were called up.

"The two children, Gary Convair and Daisy Convair are the remaining members of the Convair family. Gary will be the new King and Daisy is to be married to Prince Kenny forming an alliance between Kanto and Sinnoh."

"And as you all know, our kind King had adopted a simple farm boy into the family. I present Sir Ashton Ketchum. Ashton is an Aura Guardian and is also the saviour of our town, sending the threat away. For this, Sir Ashton you will always be remembered as a hero."

"Thank you…" Ash said awkwardly

Two days passed and Gary's coronation was upon them.

Gary was named king of Kanto and then it was time for Riley and Ash to leave once again.

"Are you sure you have to go?" asked a crying Daisy

"I'm afraid so my sister… but there's no need to cry, I'll be back." Ash smiled

"Make sure you stay safe and don't do anything stupid." Gary said

Ash laughed

"You're sounding just like father, you'll be a great King."

The three hugged and then, Riley and Ash left.

**Bit of a short chapter this time, I know. I'm sorry but there are different story points that I don't want to add just yet. Be sure to review the chapter and give me some advice. And I hope you're looking forward to another chapter because I'll have one for you… one day.**

**-A**


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